Pneumatic tire.



A. G. RUDLAND. PNEUMATIC TIRE. APPLICATION FILED sgr'r. 20-, 1907.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

ATTOR/VE I T0 all'whom it may concern:

ARTHUR G; .R'UDLAND, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

., Be itknown that I, ARTHUR 6. RUDLAND,

citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing.

at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Tii'es, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of pneumatic tirewherein a lightinner tube holding the air under pressure is protectedwith an outer casing to furnish the necessary strength and resist wear,and my bbject'has been to embody a metal tread in the construction ofsuch outer casing.

Attempts have previously been made to apply a metallic sheathing ortread to a double tube tire but in all such with which I am acquaintedthe tread has been appged as supplementary to the outer casing w e myinvention embodies such tread as a structural part of'it'. With thisobject in view I inclose the inner pneumatic tube of the tire with anouter casing formed of a tread chain of metal links of particular designand sid rings of flexible material secured to wheel rim and tread chainby means of beaded edges in the usualmanner, which side rings- W1 underthe inflation of the inner tube, assume a tubular form. I

The construction of the tire is fully described in the followingspecification referis accompanied, in which:

wheel to which the tire is applied, 3 being the annular lips whichretain the tire in place thereon. The inner pneumatic tube 4 isprotected by an outer casing composed of three principal parts, namely,the two side rings 5 and a metallic tread chain composed of links 8. Theside rin 5 may be of any suitable flexible gmateria such as, is com-,

monly used in the outer casings of a tire and are provided with beadededges 6 and7, 6 being the bead by which each ring is secured to theannular lips'i3 of the wheel rim and 7 a similar Head by which the chaintread is secured torthe rings a Specification of Letters Patent.Application filed September 20, 1907. Serial No. 398,889

ence being made to the drawings by which it Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Each link 8 of the chain tread is rovided with a 1i 9 ada ted to receiveand old the bead 7 o the si e ring and this lip is curved to the circleof the tire as shown in Fig. 5. The tread portionof the chain links 8may alsp be so curved, although shown straight in i 1.

On e end of each link 8 is provided on the. upper side, that is the sidetoward the center of the tire, with a joint member 10, designed to formwith the adjacent end of the next link to it a hinge joint, and theopposite end of each link has a portion 11 shaped to partially encirclethe hinge member 10 of the adjacent end of the next link to it. The01''- tion 1 1 does not embrace more than one alf of the bin e member 10of the adjacent link, the comp etion of the hinge joint bearing beingformed by the heel 13 of a lever member 14 pivotally connected by a pin15 to a portion 16 projecting from the upper end-of 1 1. This levermember 14 projects over the next link adjacent to the one to which it issecured and is desi ned to receive an elastic pressure to close t e heel13 upon '10 and complete the hinge joint, from the expansion of theinner pneumatic tube 4 upon the freeend of it when such is inflated.From the outer edges of the lever member '14 project flanges- 17 whichwill bear a ainst the inner sides ofthe heads 7 of the side rings 5 toretain them in the lips 9 of the link members 8. The inner pneumatictube 4 may be protected from direct contact with the lever members 14and their hinged connections, to the links 8 by a band 20 of canvas orother material between the tire and the links of the chain tread. Theouter tread of the links 8 ma be furnished when thought necessary witprojections 12 to prevent sln'dding.

A tire casin is thus provided having a tread that wi secure .aneflicient driving hold upon the track and that is mail clad to resistuncture and ordinary wear while its flexibi ity to respond to theelasticity of the pneumatic tube within it, is not only not seriouslyimpaired, but the pressure of such tube against the inner side of thestructure of the tread chain is made use of to secure the IOU linksthereof and-maintain the fit of the hinge I 1 connections under wear.

Having now particularly described the construction of my tire and theadvantages which I claim for it, I hereby declare that what I claimas'my invention and desire to be protected 'in by Letters Patent,[is:

1, In a pneumatic tire, the combination 7 with an inner inflated tube ofan outer casing protecting said tube said casing composed of a treadchain formed of a series of short links each having at one end acylindrical in bearing and at the other end a correspon in conwhichlever member is adapted to form the bearing of the inner tube on thetread chain, and sidg gings of flexible material having wirededges whichare pressed into engaging lips secured to the rim of the wheel and tocplrresponding lips in the links of the tread 0 am.

ceases "2. In a pneumatic tire, the combination with an inner inflatedtube, of an outer casin composed of a connected chain of links, si e rins of flexible material, a rim, said rim and sai links having means forreceiving the ends of said side rings, said inner tube when inflatedserving to retain the side rings with their ends in engagement with therim and links respectively, said chain of links comprising links properand lever members pivotally connected with each of said links tointerlock with the next adjacent links.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR C. RUDLAND. Witnesses:

ROWLAND Bnirmm, CLIVE S. CARMAN.

